"You cannot negotiate with someone who is threatening to destroy you and your family... You've got to know with whom to negotiate and with whom you should not negotiate," said the former New York City mayor.

Giuliani, who has highlighted his September 11 experience to bolster his national security credentials, said that he agreed with Clinton’s decision to condemn Obama for saying "that he would invite Ahmadinejad, Assad, Castro and Chavez - did I miss somebody - to Washington in the first year that he's in office to meet with them, without preconditions."

However, he later chided Clinton, saying she "hesitates to answer questions on what she's going to do about Iran."

soundoff(20 Responses)

I know i'm not the only person who thinks this, but if the terrible events of 9/11 had never occurred Giuliani would not be running for President.

Mayor Giuliani needs to really reevaluate his campaign and come up with something more substantive. He can't keep running on the tragedies of 9/11 and expect the American people not to scrutinize this fact.

You're probably right Rudy, when just yesterday you said you can't negotiate with Space Aliens either. bottom line dude, you're out of touch. You're playing only t people's fears and insecurity and thus making us more insecure. If you acheive the highest office in the land it will be a dark day indeed, as you come off like George Bush on steroids, just as robotic and unthinking, just as dangerous and crude.

Why don't you talk about attacking the people that actually attacked us, in Afganistan and Pakistan, the way that Barack Obama has been discussing it.

Obama reminds me of FDR, saying talk softly and carry a big stick. Meanwhile you simply remind me of another beltway hack, saying the same old tired rhetoric to get elected, living off the shadows of those that died under your watch.

Hero of 911... yeah right. I was there, and I didn't see you amongst the heros of that day.

Rudy since you know what you are going to do with Iran if you were to be elected, what do you think about the news that Russia is helping them complete the reactor. are you going to take on Russia next? as naive as Sen. Obama may have been and as guarded as Sen. Clinton wants to be, they both acknowledge that diplomacy should be an option. If you were so wonderful on 9/11 what exactly were your efforts to stop those attacks?

Nice job of deleting my comments about Ron Paul wiping the floor with Rudy on foreign policy. Ron is on the freaking House Foreign Relations committee and is backed by the head of the bin laden unit that W. Bush got rid off. Rudy can't touch RON PAUL on that!

looks like another paper tough guy republican. I'd like to see a study on how many republican hawks actually had the nerve to serve in military or law enforcement. seems like all we get are lawyers that think they're john wayne.

Comon CNN, What about Obama's response? "It's all well in good for Rudy's lobyist company to accept Hugo Chavez money but not talk to the leader if he became president".

Rudy got played by Obama.

October 16, 2007 10:44 pm at 10:44 pm |

Julie Mac

Ha. Ha ha ha. The fact that Giuliani is the most desirable candidate for President is almost as scary as Bush being the favored candidate in 2000. Giuliani knows the least about foreign policy of any GOP candidate. His September 11th "experience" has NOTHING to do with foreign policy. If he's going to keep emphasizing that, maybe he should run for the head of FEMA.

"You cannot negotiate with someone who is threatening to destroy you and your family…". Gimme a break. A straw man argument if I ever saw one. Practically a Bush-ism.

You Republicans are so dumb. Pelosi and the Dems are ending the war in Iraq. Watch CNN and try to figure out what they are really doing. Even your great leader has no idea what is happening "which is par for the course". The plan is working. The war will end soon and our soldiers will be coming home! YEAH!!!!

"You cannot negotiate with someone who is threatening to destroy you and your family… You've got to know with whom to negotiate and with whom you should not negotiate," said the former New York City mayor."

This says it all in my mind. Rudy is not interested in negotiating. Rudy is another trigger happy Politician like George W Bush. Shoot first than maybe we'll negotiate peace talks and maybe not!!

Given the current rumblings coming from Russia and Turkey, somebody in Washington better start thinking about negotiating peace. The Iraq War is branching out into a soon to be WWIII and the White House is still pretending all is well because Iraq is making progress!!!

It is time for the White House to think seriously about replacing Bush NOW. Congress needs to wake up and realize America needs a leader who is ready to negotiate diplomatically for PEACE and who has an agenda other than AIM AND FIRE! It doesn't appear anyone in the White House has the cognitive abilities to see the grave circumstances currently facing the world. Hopefully they'll wake up before the rubble starts falling down around them.

And the responsibility for the Global upheaval all are experiencing today falls squarely on the shoulders of George W. Bush. The Actionable Intelligence Strategy, I have a plan, oppps, I have another plan man.

I was wondering what they would say....everything he said was the truth....and yet....the Democrats rhetoric machine is in full force...they are so angry....I hope they calm down after Giuliani wins in 08....we need to be one country again...not right or left.....somewhere in the middle...and Giuliani is as close as there is running...

Hillary should be thanking Giuliani for all the free press time he gives her. When he's questioned by the press about something Hillary says she will do, he never brings the focus of the question back to what he will do, but continues on and on about other things Hillary has said. He is not bright and clearly doesn't understand how to get the most bang for his bucks because Hillary knows how to get hers.

The only ways I've ever seen differences in opinion be resolved, is by the people involved communicating with each other, or going to war against each other. I choose communicating (negotiating) rather than fighting. I understand these may be evil people, but we should try to change their views before fighting with them.

Giuliani is a phoney and a snake oil salesman. He knows nothing about foreign policy or federal politics. He is just a former city mayor, which was attacked by terrorists, and he failed to prevent the attack and has done nothing significant since.